Colossus Winners (Issue No.211)

BAFFLER No 211
5 x £50 Prize Cheques
Hilary Dennis, Alfreton; Valerie East, London; Roland Ledgard, Caythorpe; J Spick, Ecclesfield; H Walker, Thurlstone.

GIANT CRYPTIC No 211
1 x George Foreman Grill
J Moss, Southminster.

2 x Magnetic Notepads & Lovatts Teaspoons
J Matthams, Brentwood; P Theobald, Colchester.

3 x Lovatts Compact Umbrellas
H Harding, Reading; Adrienne Lowe, Maghull; Iris Pipes, Swadlincote.

CASHWORDS No 211
£300 Winner
Michael Wallace, Redbourn.

5 x £40
A Ashworth, Bury; Danny Maghon, Guernsey; G Pears, Chester-Le-Street; Colin Thomas, London; C Ward, London.

Stinker No 211
1 x George Foreman Grill
John Trowbridge, Eastbourne.

2 x Cookworks White Kettles
K O’Hara, Hounslow; P Rigby, St Helens.

3 x Lovatts Entertaining Aprons & Tea Towels
Lynda Birt, Smethwick; J Goodey, Long Sutton; Ian Wilkinson, Rayleigh.

Mega Winners (Issue No.01)

Mighty Mega
1 x £200
Joan Baird, Isle of Man.

Mega Mix
1 x £100
J D Burns, London.

Mega Stinker
1 x TV/DVD Combi
K M Smith, Flitwick.

5 x Lovatts Prize Packs – Coffee Mug & Teaspoon
Mark Carrington, Buxton; A Cropper, St Helier; Alexander Grant, Wishaw;
Brain Morris, Middleton; David Parsons, Highbridge.

Subscribers Only Contest!
1 x £50
Penny Carnell, Radcliffe-on-Trent.

Sleep solves cryptics

Why is it, when I do a cryptic crossword,
I get stuck on a word,
I go to sleep,
and when I awake, I can solve the clues very easily,
then I repeat it again the next night,
it works for me,
why is it?

Diana Saunders

Big 200 – Wall of Fame

Congratulations to these clever puzzlers on completing all BIG Bonanza puzzles in Christine’s BIG Crossword, Issue No.200:

BIG 200 BONUS DRAW WINNERS Colin Booth, Alicante, Spain; J Brady, Leeds; Maureen Caldwell, Dalrymple; June Carr, Stroud; June Clee, Tipton; P Court, Bromsgrove; Frances Douglas, Bognor Regis; J Fretter, Market Harborough; Brenda Gladdish, Sidcup; P Guy, Ammanford; Deborah Heritage, Derby; K Holmes, Rotherham; John Martindale, Bolton; Elke Meredith, Exeter; P Middup, Eastbourne; Pat Pearson, Knott-End-On-Sea; Lesley Pemberton, Harrogate; Iola Thomas, Llangain; J Ward, Oadby; P Wright, Streetly.

Big 200 Winners

BIGCASH No 200
£300 Winner
M Callery, St Helens.

5 x £40 Winners
M Anderson, Hull; Val Broadbent, Leeds; W Jewkes, Alfreton; Rose White, Waltham Cross;
M Wood, London.

Goliathon No 200
1 x George Foreman Grill
W Peters, Newton-Le-Willows.

1 x Lovatts Prize Pack – Victorian Gardner Book with a Lovatts Umbrella
P Arscott, Tetney.

3 x Lovatts Coffee Mugs & Teaspoons
Pat Allott, Rotherham; M McCune, Settle; L Youseman, Inverurie.

DEMON No 200
1 x Collins Bradford’s Electronic Crossword Solver
Monica Heyes, Shanklin.

1 x Lovatts Prize Pack – Lovatts Umbrella, Coffee Mug, Tea Towel & Teaspoon
M Vidoretti, Blackpool.

3 x Books – How To Do Just About Everything
E Fenwick, Winston; M Taylor, Horsham; H Todd, Leicester.

BONANZA No 200
Wordygig – P8
Solution: 1c, 2a, 3b, 4b
2 x Lovatts Coffee Mugs & Teaspoons
Cathy Cawkwell, Hemel Hempstead; Helen Kelly, Hatfield.

The Knowledge – P 10
Solution: Lancashire Cheese
2 x Collins Gem Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionaries
Janet Hay, Wynd; Lynne McFarlane, Nuneaton.

Starhunt 1 – P16
Solution: Ronnie Wood
2 x Collins Gem – ‘100 Ways to Boost Your Energy’
B Chamberlain, Groby; J Newcombe, Walton-On-Thames.

Starhunt 3 – P17
Solution: Eric Bana
2 x Magnetic Wild Flower Notepads plus Pentel Correction Pens
S Moss, Darwen; J Wagstaff, Surbiton.

Ninesies – P18
Solution: Boasted
2 x Clock Radios
J Crellen, Workington; Jean Nash, Oldham.

Pop Words – P20
Solution: The Yardbirds
1 x “The Rest is Noise-Listening to the Twentieth Century” by Alex Ross
Coralie Stokes, Birchington.

Elevenses 1 – P22
Solution: Character
2 x Collins Gem Books – “100 Ways to Boost Your Immune System”
Sybil Clarke, Cambridge; Marion Thomas, Mountain Ash.

Wheel Words – P24
Solution: Fathering
2 x Magnetic Lavender & Wine Notepads plus Lovatts Tea Towels
P Albom, Wainfleet St Mary; K Powick, Halesowen.

Memory Lane – P28
Solution: Lancaster
2 x Collins Books – “How Not to Act Old”
J Barnes, Warrington; D Richardson, Todmorden.

Two-Way Teaser – P38
Solution: Collision Course
3 x Collins Gem – ‘5 Minute Memory Workout’ plus Lovatts Handy Screwdrivers
J Clemence, Aslockton; M Divine, Kirkby-In-Ash; M Mackenzie, Inverness.

Do Your Block – P42
Solution: Teasers
2 x Lovatts Entertaining Aprons and Handy Screwdriver Sets
J Broughton, Sleaford; John Robson, Cannock.

Starhunt 5 – P46
Solution: Dawn French
2 x Lovatts Compact Umbrellas
P Lewis, Northwich; B Woodford, Carterton.

Starhunt 7 – P47
Solution: Jeremy Irons
2 x Collins Gems – “15 Minute Yoga”
Karen Clark, London; G Millington, Oldbury.

Elevenses 2- P52
Solution: Feather
2 x Collins Gem Bradford’s Crossword Solver’s Dictionaries
M Davies, Deepcar; J Rogers, Hatfield.

Starhunt 9 – P58
Solution: Jack Nicklaus
2 x Lovatts Compact Umbrellas
Dawn Clayden, Saffron Walden; Linda Huffen, Kirkby-In-Ashfield.

Starhunt 11 – P59
Solution: Alicia Silverstone
2 x Magnetic Lavender & Wine Notepads plus Lovatts Tea Towels
Georgina Lavery, Dereham; L Myatt, Walsall.

FindaWord – P75
Solution: Deliciously Healthy
2 x £10 Tesco Gift Cards
Elsie Boulter, Ferndown; T Webb, Bury St Edmunds.

Sudoku – The Latest Puzzle Craze 39 Winners

SU-DOABLE CONTEST 1
2 x £50
PAGE 5
Nicola Davy, Woodchurch; J Donald, Aberdeen.

ADDOKU CONTEST 2
2 x £50
PAGE 15
Christine Howorth, Burnley; M Lund, Preston.

THE XFACTOR CONTEST
32 x £50
PAGE 30
Zuzana Pavlickova, Reading; Penelope Robinson, Stoke-On-Trent.

SU-PREME CONTEST
42 x £50
PAGE 50
Clive Booker, London; D Knight, Bromley.

BIG Crossword 201 – On Sale Now!

The August edition of Christine’s BIG Crossword, with all your favourite puzzles,  is now on sale. In her Hello column Christine encourages readers to support one of the most important people in every community – the local newsagent! It’s a tough job, involving early mornings and barely a day off. To a publishing company like ourselves the newsagent is a vital link in getting our magazines to our readers. And if by chance you’re having trouble finding any of our four titles, ask your newsagent and I’m sure he’ll put in a special order for you. It’s all part of the service!

Well-armed – BIG Crossword 199

Crosswords are a super way to keep your brain fit and fantastic. Keeping the body in good shape also helps and all that searching through weighty tomes, plus pencil scribbling (and the occasional erasing) requires some agility, especially of the ‘Arm muscle’ (Demon 4ac).

Working the BICEPS for a crossworder is most often done by lifting your hand from the page and scratching your head in thought. Our clue is not incorrect, as queried by some, as the BICEPS is so named because it is a two-headed muscle (triceps has three points of attachment). We did not need a plural clue.

Another query came at 31dn where for ‘Inlaid border of violin’ we had PURFLE and some of you thought it should be PURFLING, which of course did not fit. I think this is one of those cases where we are both correct. Oxford lists PURFLE as ‘an ornamental border, typically one inlaid at the back of a violin’ but both Oxford and Collins make a note of purfling as a noun also. Whichever you prefer they are both great words, don’t you think?

Whereas today Pilates, boot camps and body building are fitness fads in the 1920s INDIAN CLUB exercise classes were all the rage. Originally used by wrestlers in India for strength training, British soldiers introduced them into England in the 1880s. Jugglers soon put similar clubs to good use, hence our clue ‘Juggler’s tossing pin’ at 22dn.

Back at 2dn the ‘Floating White Nile vegetation’ was SUDD not SUDS (which, if you had, also meant 17ac was incorrect; ‘Gulf War missile’ was SCUD). The sudd (coming from an Arabic word meaning ‘block’) is a swampy region that acts as an obstacle to navigation. For me it brings to mind Humphrey Bogart as Mr Allnut, dragging the African Queen through the swamps to get to clear water and sink the German gunboat.

Putting your heads together for a powwow can help come up with the answers. The more formal answer to ‘Informal conference’ at 74dn was a COLLOQUIUM not COLLOQUIAN. The M was needed for ‘Smashes into’ RAMS at 125ac (not RUNS).

America’s Cup winners are not the only ones with winged keels! Birds have a keel on their sternum where their wings are anchored. Those without this keel have a flat or raft-like sternum and are known as RATITES. The emu and ostrich are examples.

Also from the animal world the MANATEE was the ‘Whale-like mammal’ at 79dn. MANTARE and MANTITE both appeared, making RATITES incorrect as RATTANS or RUTTIES.

FIREDAMP sounds like an odd name for combustible gas but the damp here comes from the German dampf meaning vapour.

The Parliament of India consists of two houses the upper, or Rajya Sabha and the lower, or Lok SABHA (96ac). Representatives in the Lok Sabha are chosen by direct election. Indian democracy has a long history. The Sabha, as an assembly of people for making decisions, is mentioned in the Ancient Vedic texts. SABBA was incorrect.

Over to the Goliathon and ‘Throaty’ was GUTTURAL not GUTTERAL at 60ac.

‘Levels’ at 96ac was STRATA not STRATO, which you had if you put MEGOLAMANIA instead of MEGALOMANIA for 80dn ‘Craving for power’.

Speaking of cravings – if you crave more crosswords our MEGA! crossword magazine is now available six times a year and includes three huge contests; the MEGA Stinker, Mighty Mega and the unique Mega Mix, Christine’s delightful mix of straight, cryptic and photo clues. Look for it at your newsagent or take out a subscription via our website.

Answers in B&W – Colossus Crosswords 209

Doha is the capital city of Qatar. Like the Clampetts in TV’s Beverly Hillbillies, Doha was thrust into the modern world with the discovery of oil. Once an impoverished country dependent on pearl fishing, Qatar is now booming and Doha’s towering skyline reflects this.

The WTO or World Trade Organisation is a forum for international trade. Agreements are negotiated and signed, disputes heard and settled and poorer countries are encouraged to participate in world trade. To this end the DOHA Round (Baffler clue) commenced in 2001 to negotiate the lowering of trade barriers. The round of talks is so called because it began in Doha. Negotiations have broken down three times and stalled for various reasons proving agreement is a grey area – thank goodness crosswords are black and white!

Apart from this clue, the Baffler didn’t seem to cause too many problems. A couple of entries had EL DUCE when you needed IL DUCE for ‘Mussolini title’ and we accepted both GAIA and GAEA for ‘Earth goddess’.

Over in the Stinker there was plenty to test you out beginning at 8ac where a ‘Dud firework’ was a SQUIB not a SLUBB or SQUAB. A squib gets its name from the hissing sound it makes before a small explosion.

Squibs are sometimes used in filmmaking to simulate a bullet’s impact, but the word is also used for fireworks that ‘fizz’ when greater things are expected. A squib is also a short satirical piece and in Harry Potter a person born to wizard parents but lacking magical powers.

A HIBACHI (not HABACHI) is a ‘Portable barbecuing brazier’ (Stinker 87ac) from Japan. The word translates to ‘fire bowl’. LORGNETTE not LORNNETTE for ‘Theatregoer’s glasses’ (Stinker 164ac) comes from the French ‘to squint at’.

‘Trojan War commander’ at 146ac was AGAMEMNON and not AGAMENNON.

Still in the world of ancient myth, Hermes Trismegistus, or Thrice-great Hermes, was the Greek name for the Egyptian god Thoth. He is credited with writing books on magic and alchemy and with inventing a seal that nothing could break. From him we have the word HERMETIC for an ‘Airtight’ seal. At 219dn a few had HERPETIC, which means related to the virus herpes.

A couple of familial spelling errors also appeared. ‘Descendants’ (250ac) are PROGENY not PRODENY and ‘Substitute parent’ (212dn) was SURROGATE not SURRIGATE.

Clue 12ac in the Giant Cryptic left some scratching their heads. ‘Prisoner deviously enclosed expressions of sympathy’ needed you to pick ‘deviously’ as the trigger to a word jumble and to work out that ‘prisoner’ was CON. You then got CONDOLENCES by rearranging ‘con enclosed’.

Another devious clue was 23dn ‘Prefer it can be curried’. This needed you to know the expression ‘curry favour’. This has nothing to do with the Indian dish but relates to grooming a horse with a currycomb. The phrase was originally ‘curry Fauvel’, after an ambitious horse in a 14th century French poem. The rich and powerful would bow and scrape to him i.e. curry Fauvel. A mistaken translation gave us curry favour. FAVOUR also means prefer.

The main error in the Cashwords was at 215ac ‘Deadly poison’, which was STRYCHNINE not STRYCININE. If you survived that you may have been caught immediately below at 224ac ‘Benign’, which was BENEVOLENT not BENEVELENT.

Enjoy the summer with a puzzle or two!

Finding the threads – Puzzle Collection 61

When tackling a Stinker, it is easier to get in than to get out – a lot like a LABYRINTH. That ‘Confusing network’ of clues can trap you at any turn, just like Daedalus’ maze which held the Minotaur in Crete.

Young Athenians were sacrificed to the beast and none could escape from the maze until brave Theseus managed to slay the monster. How did he find his way out?

He was given a clew, or magic ball of thread, by the king’s daughter, Ariadne, who had fallen in love with young Theseus. He let out the thread on his way in, and followed it on his way back out (just like Hansel and Gretel followed the scattered pebbles).

It is from this clew that we get the word clue that we puzzle lovers are so familiar with. Like the thread, the clues act as guides to making your way through the baffling grid.

However the clue is only half the story and if you put LABARINTH at 15ac, you were facing a monster of a different kind – the spelling monster!

The Devil’s Dictionary has such entries as OCEAN – a body of water occupying about two-thirds of a world made for man – who has no gills, or MISFORTUNE – the kind of fortune that never misses. It was written by American satirist, Ambrose BIERCE (152ac) between 1881 and 1906. First printed in a weekly paper, it was later made into a book with the original title, Cynic’s Word Book. A few of you hadn’t heard of this tongue-in-cheek word lover and various guesses appeared for his name.

Another name caught out some at 200ac. ‘Elizabethan poet, Edmund SPENSER’ and not Spencer, is best remembered for his unfinished epic The Faerie Queen.

Clue 210ac was abominable! No, really; it was ‘Abominable’ and needed the answer EXECRABLE (which sounds like a pretty abominable word!). Where consecrate is to declare sacred, execrate is to declare abhorrent.

EXECRABLE came off the E in CUNIEFORM (‘Sumerian script’) at 187dn and if you had this as CUNEIFORM you were left trying to fit INEQUABLE or INEFFABLE. Like a maze, one wrong turn leads to another, and coming off EXECRABLE was CREED for ‘Doctrine’. INEQUABLE allowed for RULES but this made ‘Lumpy growth’ NOSE and that just would not do! The answer was NODE. Confused? Let’s move on.

At 258ac ‘pedestal’ was PLINTH and not PLYNTH and 271ac ‘Hellish’ was STYGIAN not STIGIAN. Stygian means ‘of the river Styx’, the river in Hades across which the souls of the dead were ferried by Charon.

It was hard to see the threads in the clue 56dn in the Giant Cryptic. Let me unravel it for you. ‘New (a trigger to rearranging letters) website about original (trigger to first letters) Custom House entrances (the straight part of the clue)’. Entrances doesn’t just mean ways in but with a shift of stress means BEWITCHES, an unjumbling of WEBSITE plus CH.

The Monster Colossus didn’t throw up too many loose threads, however 63ac ‘Deliberate lack of cooperation’ was DEFIANCE, like the movie with Daniel Craig, and not DEVIANCE, and 325ac ‘Wood preservative’ was CREOSOTE not CREASOTE.

Have fun following the threads once again.

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